The End of the Road: Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma

First Round Mock’s William Yanish has studied the game film of Oklahoma quarterback (QB) Dillon Gabriel and put a grade on him.

The size of a college makes a difference. It’s simply a fact that large schools draw the best in everything. They have a lot of the top coaches, players, and pretty much anything and everything that money can buy. My editor at FirstRoundMock.com, Daniel Kelly, brought this up a while back while discussing a prospect. There are still outliers who have an impact, but it doesn’t change the facts.

That brings us to this Sooners’ QB.

Asking yourself why a kid is going to a specific school is always a valid question when you are laced up in my boots putting work in on certain subjects.

Gabriel

Gabriel was a four-star recruit out of Mililani, Hawaii and no, he’s not a direct relative of former NFL QB Roman Gabriel.

This 5-foot-11, 204 pound QB started from high school by enrolling with UCF in 2019 (and suffered a season-ending injury in 2021), then transferred to UCLA that same year, before ending up in Oklahoma in 2022.

That was his path and now let’s throw some numbers around.

Through all of his travels, it’s all added up. To date, Gabriel has thrown for 14,274 yards, 120 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions. All of this while completing 63.1% of his college career passes.

Sounds impressive, but what does he look like on the game film?

The Yanish Report

Shorter, lean, spark plug of a southpaw (left-handed) QB. Moves well navigating the pocket. Scrambling ability is perhaps his best trait. Unorthodox footwork is shaky, at best. Semi-clean release, but choppy lower-body mechanics hinder accuracy and overall ball control. Simple one-read QB that will be eaten alive by hungry defenders staring at receivers. “Extra medium” one-speed ball velocity. Arm talent is just not NFL quality. Scattershot-like accuracy. Rarely steps into and drives throws properly. Lacks decisiveness. No standout traits. Uptempo.

For the win

Even after the transfer to Oklahoma, Gabriel is nothing more than a flash in the pan. He is a typical spread offense QB who simply does not have the skills to sustain as a QB at the next level. No matter how many times he sets a mark, or how many touchdowns that he ends up scoring, it’s just the fact of the matter. With two weeks to go in the regular season, Oklahoma trails Oklahoma State and Texas for a shot at the Big 12 Championship on December 2.

There isn’t anything in his bag of tricks that can help him in the NFL.

The best place on the field for him could be a position switch to slot receiver. With knowledge of the field and some athletic qualities, he could carve out a niche with a small package of gimmick plays. That is truly the best-case scenario for Gabriel.

My BIG three questions

1. Would he consider a position change to receiver?

2. Will he even be drafted at all?

3. Can Oklahoma win the 2023 Big 12 Championship?

My 2024 NFL Draft Value: Undraftable Free Agent (UDFA)

2022 Game Film Evidence (No.8)

Nebraska

Kansas State

2023 (Oregon State No. 8)

Iowa State

Texas

William Yanish III is a lifelong football fan. He’s from the little town of Crawford, Colorado. Along the way, he’s lived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and Brookings, Oregon. Quarterback Joe Montana was his idol growing up. A little bit of CTE from life’s adventures killed his dreams as a football player. Now, he is an aspiring writer and Draft Analyst at FirstRoundMock.com. He’s a fanatic with a dream, which is coming true.